In his recent letter Ted Tendick dismissed the latest unemployment numbers as insignificant, insinuated that they were doctored (no one has produced any evidence of this), and suggested that none of the readers could answer that they are better off now than they were four years ago.
I (a member of the middle class) am definitely better off than I was four years ago. The Dow has rebounded from below 6,500 in early 2009, my investments have bounced back, my employer has given me a raise each of those years, and my home is regaining its value.
I expect that those who answered that they are not better off now are generally those who remain unemployed or underemployed, and this is still a significant problem. This is why we need legislators who will not revert to the Bush-era policies that caused the recession and high unemployment — tax cuts for the wealthy and elimination of needed financial regulations.
Corporations hire people (typically as last resort) to fulfill a demand for their products. If there is not sufficient demand, they will not hire regardless of how much money the government gives them. In order for there to be significant demand for their products, the middle class has to be spending money.
Carole Mataya
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Rochester
